


Growing Together

by ReeLeeV



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, Hyungki rise, M/M, model!hyungwon, photographer!Kihyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-01-16 08:22:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12338994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReeLeeV/pseuds/ReeLeeV
Summary: When Kihyun met Hyungwon through mutual friends in college, the last thing he expected was to fall for such a pretentious, snarky man.





	1. Chapter 1

“I can’t stand you sometimes,” Kihyun mutters, staring hard at his phone screen as he types out a response to his most impossible dongsaeng. Minhyuk glances over, seeming almost offended, but merely ‘hmmphs’ at seeing Kihyun isn’t actually talking to him.

“Talking to your future husband, I see,” he comments as he lazily returns his gaze to the drama playing on the television. Kihyun scoffs at his roommate’s comment and rolls his eyes.

“Just because we bicker doesn’t mean we’re getting married,” Kihyun grumbles. “ _We_ bicker, too, Minhyuk-ah. Does that mean _we’re_ getting married, too?” Minhyuk yelps out a laugh, shaking his head at the retort.

“Nah,” he replies. “We’re too similar for that to work out. Besides, Kyunnie is _so_ much more fun to play with than you~.” He winks teasingly at his same-age friend, to which Kihyun can only roll his eyes. Kihyun’s phone buzzes again. He sighs heavily as he reads Hyungwon’s response.

_God, you’re such an annoying know-it-all sometimes…_

_Yah yah! Don’t call your hyung an annoying know-it-all, it’s disrespectful_ , he quickly replies.

 _Yeah, yeah_ , Hyungwon quickly sends back. A second message comes in, and it reads, _I’ve got to get to class, I’ll text you when I’m done… We still on for tonight?_

 _I don’t know_ , Kihyun types. _Apparently I’m an insufferable know-it-all… How am I supposed to show my face in public with this new identity? How are you going to recognize me?_ _ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ_

_Aiiish, honestly hyung…_

“What’s tonight?” Minhyuk suddenly asks, breaking through the pleasant bubble of peace that’s surrounded Kihyun, much as it always does whenever he’s talking with Hyungwon. He leans away, feeling as if he should protect the screen of his phone despite the conversation being entirely innocent. Minhyuk blatantly reading over his shoulder tends to have that effect on him.

“We’re just getting together for a project,” Kihyun explains, locking his phone casually. He sucks in a breath through his front teeth as he can practically hear the slightly-older waggle his eyebrows suggestively. He stands from the couch to go to his room, absolutely done with this conversation now.

“For what class?” Minhyuk asks, following the shorter. “Anatomy? Are you going to point out different parts of each other’s bodies~? Oh, or maybe it’s chemistry? You know, to—” Kihyun doesn’t bother listening to the ending to that, instead choosing to slam the door in his face.

The young man throws himself onto his bed with a sigh, holding his phone close to his chest. Honestly, Minhyuk can be so insufferable sometimes… It makes him wonder why he puts up with it, why he’s put up with it for all these years.

 

“Wonnie,” Kihyun sighs tiredly, “why’re you being so damn difficult? This shot is just fine for the project!”

“There’s this weird shadow on my face,” Hyungwon explains, sounding incredibly exasperated as he points out the way the shadow cuts off half his face for the umpteenth time. Kihyun groans, throwing himself back against the chair in which he sits.

They’d been going back and forth for the good part of an hour now, just trying to find that perfect shot to use for their joint project. The shoot itself had gone incredibly well, but that was to be expected. The two always work fantastically together when it came to the photoshoot aspect of their projects, which is why they always get the highest marks, but this part is always the most grueling.

“The concept is mysterious,” Kihyun tells him as he drags his hands over his own face. “The shadow on your face adds an air of _mystery_ , which is what we _need_.”

“That’s what everyone’s going to go for!” Hyungwon bursts out, gesticulating wildly with his hands. “If you want to be predictable, then fine, choose the photo. But, I think we’ve got a real winner in there that you haven’t considered yet!”

“We’ve gone through every frame!” Kihyun fires back. “We’ve chosen all but _the last photo_. _Please_ , just let me add this so we can leave…”

“You’re really _so_ eager to leave my presence that you’re willing to sacrifice our grade?” Hyungwon asks, poking out his bottom lip in a pout. Kihyun rolls his eyes at the typical tactic, both at how expected it is and how much of an effect it still has on him.

“Fine,” the older grumbles, earning a delighted smile from the taller, “but I’m _not_ continuing this argument with you tonight.” He begins closing down the programs on his laptop to shut it off, adding, “I’ll look over the shots again in a couple days, and we can meet up again about it. If we still can’t agree on anything, then we’ll just have to take some more shots.”

“Fine by me,” Hyungwon says with a shrug. He pauses, watching his hyung’s almost hasty movements. “What’s the rush?” he can’t help but ask. “Hot date tonight or something?” Kihyun pushes an amused breath through his pursed lips at the question.

“As if,” he tells him, completely missing the younger’s relieved sigh as he bends over to slide his laptop into his bag. “I just want to get all this put away to discourage you from arguing with me anymore tonight.” Hyungwon chuckles, albeit a bit tensely.

“What else are you doing tonight?” he prods, leaning forward in his seat curiously. “Do you wanna grab something to eat, or see if we can catch a movie or something?” Kihyun stiffens ever so slightly at the suggestion. He turns his gaze to his dongsaeng, studying his expression. He seems casual enough, as does his tone… No, he means nothing romantic by it, surely. After all, it isn’t the first time they’ve hung out after all these project-meetings.

“We could catch a late showing of that new horror flick,” Kihyun says with a shrug. He mentally chastises himself for reading too much into the invitation. Minhyuk’s words from earlier had definitely gotten to him. Hyungwon nods quickly, and Kihyun nods as well. They both stand, heading for the exit quickly.

 

Barely anyone is in the theater throughout the movie. Of course, that’s to be expected considering how late it is. Hyungwon takes the chance to cuddle with Kihyun, snuggling into the older’s side with a little huff. Kihyun smiles warmly at his infuriating dongsaeng, his heart growing at how cute he can be sometimes.

They get some greasy fast food afterwards, as neither had a proper dinner before the meetup. They’re, again, the only two in the restaurant. But, it’s almost 1 am, so they just feel lucky to have found somewhere open. They do their best to keep quiet so as not to disturb the employees, but when they begin to argue about a particular part in the movie, all bets are off and they end up shouting at each other in aggravation as always.

 

“It didn’t work because she wasn’t scared of her father anymore,” Kihyun tells his dongsaeng as they exit the restaurant. “She had overcome her fear of him when she left her house.”

“I get that,” Hyungwon says in a huff. “I’m just saying, if that thing was as powerful as he was supposed to be, it should’ve been able to find out her next fear. No one is fearless.”

“But then that’d have opened us up to the question of how she’d gotten _that_ fear. It’d have been an open end.”

“So? What’s so wrong with open endings?”

“They already _had_ an open ending,” Kihyun sighs. “It would’ve just been annoying to have another one, just like this conversation.”

“Fine, fine,” Hyungwon mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest to combat the cold of the night. Their breaths mingle together in huffs of smoke, and the tips of their noses and cheeks begin to redden despite the short amount of time they’d been outside. Kihyun glances around, frowning at how empty the street is.

“Want me to walk you home?” Kihyun offers, studying their surroundings in an almost intimidating manner. Hyungwon can’t help but smile at the typical behavior. He always gets overprotective like this after they watch a horror movie late at night. Hyungwon hums, going to his pocket for his phone.

It’s then he realizes the lack of a jingle in his pocket. He gulps, his eyes shifting down to the pockets of his jacket as he pulls them inside-out. He then frantically checks his pants pockets, but comes up empty once again. He checks the time on his phone, and huffs out a small whine. Jooheon and Hyunwoo are dead to the world by now… No way would he be able to get either of them up to let him in.

Kihyun raises an unamused brow at his actions, knowing all too well what it means. He swears, his dongsaeng can be so ditzy sometimes.

“Actually, hyung,” Hyungwon mumbles, smiling sweetly at the older, “could I crash at your place~? I seem to have forgotten my keys.”

“You’d forget that gorgeous head of yours if it weren’t already connected,” Kihyun says exasperatedly. He grabs Hyungwon by the arm and pulls him close, and then begins to lead them both in the direction of his apartment. “The least you can do to repay me is help keep me warm,” he grumbles, the cold around them seeping into his jacket and making it entirely ineffectual. If he’d have known he was going to be out so late, he’d have grabbed a thicker coat.

His bitterness makes him completely miss the way Hyungwon’s cheeks grow even redder at the contact.

 

The two reach Minhyuk and Kihyun’s apartment not too long after. They hurry into the warmth of the building, and climb the stairs to the fifth floor. They remove their shoes at the door and take off their coats, both breathing relievedly at the heat. The two then make their way to Kihyun’s room. Kihyun takes off his pants and shirt, and crawls under his sheets with a smile. Hyungwon takes a little longer, finding a pair of sweat pants that’s entirely too big for Kihyun to wear, and a shirt that’d also be a bit big on the shorter, but end up fitting him perfectly. He changes quickly and slides in beside his hyung.

Kihyun casually wraps an arm around the younger as he snuggles into his side, much like he’d done in the theater, like he’d done a thousand times before.

“Night, hyung,” Hyungwon mumbles thickly, obviously already falling asleep. Kihyun chuckles breathily, admiring for once how quickly Hyungwon can pass out like this.

“Goodnight, Wonnie.”

 

Later, they’ll describe this night as the most perfect first date they could have ever hoped for. But, for now, it’s just another typical night for them.


	2. Chapter 2

“You two screwed??” Minhyuk nearly shrieks, utterly delighted at watching Hyungwon come out of Kihyun’s the next morning in the shorter’s clothes. Hyungwon quickly shuts the door behind him so as not to be overheard by Kihyun, as he’s currently sitting at his desk going over shots for a personal project of his, and ushers Minhyuk towards the kitchen.

“No, hyung,” Hyungwon whispers, still feeling as if Kihyun could hear them despite the growing distance between them. “I just forgot my keys to my apartment last night, and it was too late to bother Hyunwoo-hyung or Jooheonney. Don’t make a big deal about this, okay?” Minhyuk rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans casually against the counter.

“You’re _wearing his clothes_ ,” Minhyuk argues, gesturing towards his dongsaeng with quite the unconvinced gaze. “Come on, you’re practically married.” He pauses to chuckle, the younger’s words finally processing fully. “Really? You couldn’t come up with a better excuse to crash here?”

The slightest of smirks plays its way across Hyungwon’s lips. He reaches up into the nearby counter, where he knows his hyungs keep the mugs, and pulls down two mugs for himself and Kihyun. He then pours coffee that’s luckily already been brewed, and makes it up the way he knows Kihyun likes it.

“Just give it time, hyung,” Hyungwon mumbles, winking in an almost conspiratory manner. “Just give it time.” Minhyuk snickers in reply, watching as Hyungwon saunters from the room.

Hyungwon returns to Kihyun’s room, smiling fondly at the focused pout set on his lips. He swears, no matter how infuriating he can be at times, his hyung has got to be the cutest man he’s ever met in his entire life.

“Here,” Hyungwon mutters, sliding the mug of coffee he’d prepared for the older onto his desk. Kihyun hums in acknowledgment, but doesn’t bother to look up from his photographs as he picks up the drink with a free hand and takes a long gulp. Hyungwon watches as his hyung shuffles through the photos, smiling at the familiar scene. His heart swells with the thought of how nice it is to wake up on mornings like this, and mentally plays with the notion of waking up like this every morning for the rest of his life…

Unbeknownst to him, Kihyun is concentrating, yes, but not on the photos. Just before, he’d gone out of his room to go to the bathroom, and consequently overheard the conversation that had gone down in the kitchen. He’d quickly gone back into his room, and pretended as if he’d heard nothing.

But, needless to say, the last thing on his mind is photos.

 

Kihyun takes in his own appearance in the mirror. Black, ripped skinny jeans, his hair pushed back and up far enough to reveal his widow’s peak, and a button-down shirt with the first few buttons undone… A standby, sure, but damn does he look good.

Tonight, the entire group is going out to their typical bar. It’s something they hadn’t been able to do all month, due to everyone’s busy schedules lately, so he knows tonight is his night to make an impression. He’d even planned on the side with Minhyuk to drag everyone off to a club once the bar got to be too empty.

“Trying to snag a particular little dongsaeng into your trap?” Minhyuk teases when he sees Kihyun’s outfit. He takes a drink of water, and Kihyun chuckles darkly to himself.

“Maybe~” he answers, winking at Minhyuk. The slightly-older chokes on his beverage, propelling himself forward and beating on his chest dramatically. Minhyuk watches Kihyun as he coughs, unsure of how serious his roommate is being.

“Just keep your hands off Kkungie,” he tells him wearily. “You’ve got your own suitor, so leave me mine.”

“As if,” Kihyun laughs again. “Kkungie is like the son I’ve never had. I’d never make a pass at him.” He pauses, wiggling a brow as he adds, “No, I’ve got my eyes set on a much bigger fish.” Minhyuk ‘hmmphs’ under his breath, satisfied with the answer, but utterly confused as to what could have possibly brought on this sudden change.

Not that he’s complaining, mind you. This back-and-forth between him and Hyungwon has gone on for about a month now. It’s about time they took their relationship to the next level.

 

Hyungwon actually forgets to breathe when Minhyuk and Kihyun arrive to pick them up. Kihyun’s dressed to kill, or, more specifically, to kill Hyungwon. Honestly, Hyungwon thought _he_ was supposed to be the model, for crying out loud. Kihyun struts into the apartment, a smirk set on his beautiful lips. He stretches his neck as he rubs the back of it, glancing around to take in his surroundings.

“You’re doing a better job at keeping the place clean,” he observes, sucking a breath in slowly through his front teeth. Hyungwon huffs out a breath at the typical statement, and crosses his arms over his chest in defiance. Minhyuk merely chuckles and follows his roommate in, closing the door behind himself.

“The others ready?” Minhyuk asks, looking around for one young man in particular. Hyungwon shrugs, though his eyes don’t leave Kihyun’s short little body as he walks lazily around the living room to perch himself on the couch. Minhyuk glances between the two with a small pout, and heaves a sigh as he decides to leave them to it and go find his boyfriend.

“That _really_ how you walk into another person’s home?” Hyungwon complains. “Quite the example you’re setting for me, _hyung_.” Kihyun chuckles under his breath, shrugging as he cocks his head to the side.

“I can show you some much more useful examples of some things, if you’d like,” Kihyun suggests. His smirk only grows at his own words. Hyungwon quickly looks away, unsure if the older had meant it like he seems to have meant it, or if he’s just reading too much into the older’s words. Surely he doesn’t mean it in any sort of sexual way… surely.

Still, that doesn’t keep the blush from blooming on his cheeks at the mere thought that Kihyun could possibly be flirting with him.

“Wonnie,” Kihyun suddenly says, causing Hyungwon to glance up at him in surprise. The light in the older’s eyes is unreadable as he licks his lips, as if trying to find the right words. “I know that—”

“Hyung!” Changkyun whines, suddenly walking into the room with Minhyuk in tow. His eyes are glued to the ceiling, and his lips are pressed together as he gulps about fifty different times. Minhyuk merely laughs at his boyfriend’s reaction, and hugs him from behind.

“Awww, Kkungie,” he says with a playful pout, “don’t be mad at me… please? I couldn’t stand it if you were mad at me…” Changkyun sighs, shaking his head at the older, though he noticeably leans against Minhyuk all the same.

“Hi, hyung,” he greets upon noticing Kihyun, who merely nods in return. Jooheon suddenly pops his head into the living room, his shirt half-hanging off him.

“Oh, you’re here,” he notes. He quickly glances down, fiddling with his shirt. Hoseok’s head appears around the corner a second later, a fresh hickey glaring at them from his otherwise pale skin.

“Hey, guys~!” Hoseok greets, beaming from ear to ear as he clearly struggles to fix his own clothing. Hyungwon and Kihyun share a knowing glance at this, unable to keep from rolling their eyes. Ever since Jooheon and Hoseok had become an item, it’s been nearly impossible to keep them off each other.

“Where’s Hyunwoo-hyung?” Kihyun asks, ready to get this evening started. “Is he ready yet?”

“He was working late,” Jooheon explains, clearing his throat as he finally emerges fully from the hallway. “He said he’ll just meet us there, though. He might already be there.” Kihyun nods, and then stands from his seat to make his way towards the door.

“Well then,” he says, “what’re we standing around for? We’ve got a night out to start.” Jooheon and Hoseok hurry across the room to comply with Kihyun’s prompt, and are nearly at the elevator by the time Minhyuk and Changkyun deign to follow. Minhyuk shoots Hyungwon a wink as he passes the younger, though the model is quite unsure of how to take it.

Hyungwon glances once more at Kihyun as he bends over to put on his shoes, noting with a hammering heart how Kihyun’s eyes blatantly watch every move he makes.

He hurries after the others with a blazing complexion, his cute bashfulness earning an adoring smile from Kihyun that he doesn’t quite catch.


	3. Chapter 3

Hyunwoo is already at their usual booth by the time they arrive. They all slide in around the table, it being a bit too small for the size of their group. Hyungwon and Kihyun squish together, as per usual. But, this night, with Kihyun looking so absolutely delectable, the place where their thighs touch becomes too hot, and Hyungwon anxiously clears his throat much more often than usual.

“Looking to snag someone at the club tonight, Kihyunnie?” Hoseok suddenly asks, as if just now noticing the look the younger is sporting. The waitress comes by with a round of beers for the table, and passes them out before Kihyun answers. Hyungwon can’t help but watch the older out of the corner of his eye as he responds.

“Maybe~” he says mysteriously, and, as if sensing Hyungwon’s gaze, he gives the taller a wink. It’s small, barely noticeable… But Hyungwon sees it.

His mouth goes dry, and he downs half his beer in one long gulp, knowing he’s going to need it.

 

They finish up with dinner fairly quickly, all eager to get to the dancefloor at the local hot spot. Though some may not admit it, they each love going out and dancing their cares away. It’s always been a great stress-relief, something they need whenever life gets especially hectic.

Hyunwoo willingly breaks off from the group as soon as they arrive to get them all drinks. Minhyuk tugs Changkyun to the dancefloor immediately, and is closely followed by an excited Hoseok dragging his own boyfriend along. Hyungwon and Kihyun are left to find a table for them all, and end up having to push two together to accommodate their group.

As soon as they’re seated, Hyungwon immediately regrets allowing himself to be left alone with Kihyun. He’s fairly certain the older is purposefully pressing himself so close to him, despite there being plenty of room for them at the moment.

“Wonnie,” Kihyun’s warm breath suddenly breathes into his ear, causing him to jump. He doesn’t look over, though, merely hums in reply as he’s too busy trying to calm his racing heart to try and do much else. He can almost hear Kihyun pursing his lips, but he doesn’t trust his own eyes to not give more away than they should right now if he were to try and look to make sure.

“Wonnie, I heard what you and Minhyuk-ah were saying the other day in the kitchen…”

Hyungwon feels his face begin to burn. He’s never been much of a blusher, but right now his face is a blazing crimson. Luckily, the darkness of the club hides it fairly well. He sits rigidly in his seat, unsure of how to respond. He thinks of denying it, but the tone in the older’s voice leaves absolutely no room for debate. He could own up to it, but then that’d open a whole can of worms that Hyungwon most certainly does _not_ want to deal with right now.

“Yah! Did you hear me?” Kihyun asks, poking insistently at the younger man’s shoulder. Hyungwon manages a small nod, but still silently refuses to look over at the shorter. There’s a small sigh of aggravation, and suddenly there’s hands on both sides of his face forcing his head to turn.

“You don’t have to worry, Chae Hyungwon,” Kihyun tells him, the smallest of smiles curling up his lips. “I like you too, you lanky, beautiful idiot.”

Then, before Hyungwon can even process the older’s words, they’re kissing. Hyungwon doesn’t know what to do, how to respond. It isn’t as if he hasn’t kissed, been kissed, by anyone before. He knows how it works. Or, how it’s supposed to work. But, even this seems to be different with Kihyun. The simplest of steps has thrown his mind into a tailspin, and he’s no better than a teenager trying to figure out how lips work and what a tongue is and how the hell is he supposed to breathe like this and what’s he supposed to do now???

His hands come up to hold onto Kihyun’s waist, and his eyes fall shut. He just revels in the moment, in how soft Kihyun’s lips are and how sweet he tastes and how his heart is pounding so hard it’s making him shake like a leaf.

There’s suddenly a throat being cleared close to them, and they break apart in surprise. Hyunwoo is sitting across from them, an awkward smile pulling at his lips.

“So you two are finally together now?” he asks before either of his dongsaengs can say anything. Hyungwon sheepishly looks down at his lap, doing his best to fight down his own blush. Kihyun chuckles beside him and squeezes the younger’s knee consolingly.

“What do you mean ‘ _finally_ ’, hyung?” Kihyun asks, leaning forward to be heard over the music. “Have you all just been waiting with baited breath for me and Wonnie to screw?” The older’s wording doesn’t help Hyungwon’s blush, and when he hears Kihyun coo, he’s pretty sure it’s at him.

“Not exactly,” Hyunwoo chuckles at his dongsaengs, “but we definitely have been expecting it. Minhyukkie, especially.”

“Aiiiish,” Kihyun sighs in exasperation. “Minhyuk-ah really ought to mind his own business…”

“He means well,” Hyunwoo defends, but Kihyun merely waves a dismissive hand.

“He’s an insufferable gossip who doesn’t know when to back out of other people’s business, is what he is.”

“Talking about me, are we~?”

The three men glance up to see Minhyuk and Changkyun, panting heavily and sweating buckets despite only having been gone long enough for one dance. Kihyun snorts unamusedly, rolling his eyes at Minhyuk’s typical appearance. Hyungwon silently reaches for a beer, needing to do something other than sit there, and is in the middle of taking a long drink when Kihyun speaks next.

“Wanna dance, Wonnie?” Kihyun asks, turning to bat his eyelashes unashamedly at his dongsaeng. Hyungwon chokes on the bitter drink, but the older seems unfazed as he drags a coughing Hyungwon towards the dancefloor.

Hyungwon is suddenly left to wonder what exactly he’s gotten himself into. It hasn’t even been ten minutes into the relationship, if they even _are_ in a technical relationship now, and Kihyun’s already made him a choking, blushing mess.

Kihyun pulls the younger close to him as soon as they reach the dance floor, grinding their bodies together in-beat with the shitty music blaring through the room.

 _I just got into way more than I can handle_ … Hyungwon thinks. Though, he doesn’t think he minds it that much…


End file.
